You know what's the rage this year?

... gumboots. Girls all over the Virginia Tech campus wear gumboots, in lots of pretty patterns and colours. Today, I discovered why. It can get very wet on campus. I had a meeting with the mathematicians at 11am, and I forgot to bring my umbrella. I came out of my meeting, grabbed lunch, and just as I finished lunch it began to rain. A lot. Although my green coat can resist light showers, it is powerless against heavy rain and I was thoroughly soaked by the time I made it back to the lab.

Other than getting rained upon, I have little to report from today. I am still having difficulty with the interfacial tension measurements, but someone experienced is going to help us tomorrow. I also have not managed to locate the vegemite.

In yesterday's news, I have decided to arrive one day earlier in DC. This is because if I leave on a Friday, I can catch the home ride bus from the VT campus (the stop is 10 minutes walk from my accommodation) all the way to northern Virginia. Then it is a 30 minute Metro ride that will take me to a station one and a half blocks from my hotel. This is much better than having to get dropped into Roanoke before taking a Greyhound bus. Ahhh... the convenience.

Annette eats a biscuit...

... but Captain Flash is too busy guarding the Tim Tams. Since Captain Flash can't eat, this didn't bother him so much.

One of the best things about staying at the Clay Corner Inn is that I really feel at home - it's much more like staying at a house (with a very obliging hostess) than staying at a hotel. I just nipped downstairs for a cup of tea, and Mary (the girl who lives here with her husband and runs the place) was in the kitchen. She is babysitting two small boys this evening, and was baking biscuits in the oven. For those of you not familiar with American terminology, biscuit to an American does not equal Tim Tam or even Oreo. To an American, those are cookies. To an American, biscuit has a completely different meaning. The best way I can describe an American biscuit is as a sweet, VERY fluffy scone. Mary very kindly offered me one, since I had never eaten one before. It was tasty. Apparently, if you eat a biscuit with gravy, that is southern food.

Today I went into the lab and actually did some experimental work. I am working with a girl named Raquel on measuring surface tensions. Today was all about learning to use the equipment (and giving up on finding an interfacial tension value for chloroform in glycerol from the literature). We will use the machine again tomorrow and hopefully make better progress.

Today I also went for a wander around campus on my way to lunch. Unless you want burger king, you pretty much have to wander all the way downtown for food. Well - 10 or 15 minutes, so that's not too bad. One sight I'm getting used to is people in military uniforms wandering about campus. VT has some history as a military institution, and they have military people studying there still. As I passed all the parked cars, I also observed that people are very open about their political beliefs: plenty of Obama stickers, some McCain stickers, some stickers for campaigns for the house or the senate, and a numberplate: "PROLIF3".

Roads in the USA are also a very puzzling thing. Not only do they all drive on what I think is the wrong side of the road, but roundabouts here are few and far between. Instead, what they have is 4-way stop signs, in abundance. The best way to try an understand the 4-way stop sign is to picture a roundabout... without the roundabout part. When I asked how it works, I was told that the rule is that if two cars get there at the same time, you give way to the right. In their defence, the Americans I asked also think this is a stupid system.

One final note: at one point of a Pizza Hut ad for their new lasagne, there is a subtitle describing the lasagne as "vivacious". I love American TV.

Noooooooo!

It's Australia Day and I can't find my vegemite!

The joys of an aussie accent

Since I have been in the USA, I have been told several times by people that they love my accent. One woman at a supermarket exclaimed "You have the CUTEST accent!" Nice. Oddly, some Americans have trouble distinguishing between an Australian and an English accent - at least two people have thought I was English until I told them I was an Aussie.

In other news, I'm watching the redneck wedding show again. The show is just about finishing, and the newlyweds are entering their "honeymoon sweet" - a caravan. The dessert the couple arranged for their wedding party was chocolate pudding... served in diapers. Absolutely bizarre.

Although it may seem I have spent my entire time watching TV, this is in fact not the case. Last night, I went out to Jon's graduation party. This was a very fun night, and I had the opportunity to meet plenty of new people. For the first day in a while, I didn't need to take cold and flu drugs, so I was able to enjoy some red wine. Americans are delightfully friendly, so I was able to mix in with new groups of people with ease. I also saw Shane - one of the Americans who came to Australia when I was in honours - for the first time in about three and a half years. Still feeling some of the effects of the cold, I left the party at about 12:30. When Jon rang to check in with me today, I found out the party went on until about 5am. Although I am sure I missed plenty of fun, I am glad that I could get home for some sleep.

Today was an uneventful day. I hung around my room chatting online to people this morning, and this afternoon I walked a block to the laundromat to wash my clothes. After all the washing and drying (very boring), I walked an extra block to get subway for dinner. The subway roll, like all the other bread here, is quite sweet. The sweetness of bread here is beginning to drive me crazy! I eat breakfast every day because it is cooked for me, but eating lunch and dinner is a bit of a hit and miss affair. I am sure the appetite will eventually settle down...

The things you discover when you're home for a day

I decided not to go into campus today, as I wanted to rest and try and fight the bug. I have been resting, and feeling better for it. Television here is hilarious. First, 'True Beauty' the other night, and now I have stumbled on to trashy gold: 'My Big Redneck Wedding'. My jaw keeps dropping in amazement. Check it out at http://www.cmt.com/shows/dyn/my-big-redneck-wedding/series.jhtml.

The ads are also priceless: as I type, there are all these people talking about how this particular disposable catheter has changed their lives. And there's another one about a hair thing: http://www.bighappiehair.com/.

This groom is drinking beer at 7am on the day of his wedding. The limo is painted camouflage style.

Quotes:
Man: "You smell good" Woman "I took a bath"
Bride: "I only had time to shave one leg, I hope it's the right one"

The groom is wearing camouflage overalls... without a shirt.

The people on this show make me look about as classy as Audrey Hepburn. Dude.

Nettie has a cold, and wakes up looking SCARY...

...seriously scary. See the picture for evidence. This is not the thing you want to see in the mirror when you're already feeling bad. Good news is that the puffiness did go away, so now I will have to try if I want to scare small children.

Not much to report from yesterday: I started feeling really ill about midday, so Phil dropped me home (via the store so I could get cold & flu medication, and ibuprofen, and cough lozenges). I slept all afternoon, most of the evening, and on and off all night.

In the morning I had a hot bath (fabulous), and dosed myself up. Feeling much better, I managed to put a whole day's work in: probably good, since I have to present to the chemistry group's meeting tomorrow.

Before I forget them all, it's probably time I started writing about some of the things in the USA that are amusing, puzzling or downright mysterious. In no particular order:

• The cheddar cheese is orange. It's scary.
  
• Everything is cheap. This is good. I wanted tea, which they didn't have in the lab. It cost me $1.67 for a cup of hot water and three teabags.
  
• Here, it is legal to advertise prescription medicines on TV. There are many of these ads. They have to list the side effects, so it can sound scary.
• ORANGE cheese.
• In bars, they want TWO forms of ID. Apparently only one must be photographic.
• Words are all different. Shitty means drunk. They pronounce Nissan "knee-sahn".
  
• You can do self-check out at the supermarket.
• The cheese is ORANGE!

I also learnt about stepping and clogging today. Check them out on youtube. Clogging is hilarious - apparently very popular with girls in the south.

Snow in Blacksburg

Just a quick post, since I really should be working. I'm finally getting over the jetlag, having managed to sleep until 7am today (although I did wake several times during the night). Also, it's properly snowing - I am enjoying watching that out of my room's two windows as I write.

Yesterday I went for a walk into town. Instead of soft snow, there was ice... very slippery. Even with my walking shoes on, I had to pick my footing very carefully. I visited the "Tech Bookstore", which sells textbooks but also VT merchandise. The range of merchandise available is mind-boggling. Not only just the clothes available, but the other stuff: VT oven mitts, anyone? Check it out at http://www.techbookstore.com/.

For dinner, I went to a Cajun restaurant with Jon, Ane, Nikorn and Jose. I ate alligator (oddly flavourless) and a southern chicken dish. Both were quite tasty. We also visited a pub Jon and Ane are fond of.

Blackburg: Jetlag and settling in

I've now been in Blacksburg a few days, and am beginning to settle in. The Thursday I arrived I slept all afternoon. When I awoke, it was dark... and dinner time. Dr. Riffle greeted me, and we chatted for a while before a dinner of hamburger and veggies. It was a relaxing evening: just watching a little TV until it was time for bed.

Friday I was to call Jon or Phil when I needed to be collected: but I slept until lunch! Jon and a different Jon came and got me out of bed, and went to get much while I showered and packed my stuff. We checked into my new accommodation, and they then took me to get groceries. Grocery shopping in the USA is an interesting experience. Some things are familiar, but the range of products and most of the labels are different. Also, the standard block cheese here is (as I feared) a shade of orange. I have bought a small amount and plan to try it soon. The other fun part of the grocery trip was the self-check out... quite an interesting experience! We also purchased some booze (much cheaper here), but I am yet to open any of the wine I bought.

After grocery shopping we dropped by campus for a little while. We took the scenic route, where Jon pointed out all the sporting stadiums (their football stadium holds 60-80 thousand people) and various other campus landmarks. Jon also pointed out where the shooting took place, saying "everyone asks". I had actually planned to keep quiet, although I had been wondering. We then went into their labs, where I got to meet more chemists. While Jon and Phil did an experiment or two, I just surfed the web.

Friday evening I had a couple of hours to myself in my room, and then Jon and Ane took me out to a place they like: "The Cellar". It was a fun night, and I got to meet a couple of their friends. The wine and cocktails were both good and cheap. The only unfortunate thing is that people can still smoke in bars in Virginia, so I came home smelling strongly of cigarettes.

Saturday was just a lazy day around the inn. I am staying at place called Clay Corner Inn (http://www.claycorner.com/index.html), and it is really lovely. My room is "Virginia Room #6: Virginia is for lovers". After quite a good chat to the girl who runs the place (I had a difficult time trying to translate "poncy"), I went back to my room and just lazed about. Right now, it is 7:30 am. I have been awake since 4:30... but breakfast isn't until 8:30. So I'm just planning my day...

Tales of an epic journey (now from Blacksburg)

Chapter 2: LA
We landed in LA, about an hour late. They let people with connecting flights off the plane first, but it was still going to be a rush to make my connection. Going through immigration was actually a fairly simple process, but then I had to wait a little while for my bag. Customs was also simple, but as I rushed to the connections desk, I realised there was very little chance I was going to make my connecting flight to Chicago.

As it turned out, being late was not a problem, because the flight I was going to take was cancelled anyway. I was then given (confusing) directions... and got a little lost. I was very sleep deprived, and needed to be told everything at least twice. Finally, I managed to find where I was supposed to be, and got rebooked onto another flight to Chicago - which would give me about an hour to make my flight to Roanoke.

Then, that flight was also delayed. I began to fret, because I knew that I had arrangements for Dr Riffle to pick me up from the airport in Roanoke. Roaming wasn't working on my mobile, and I couldn't access the wireless internet at the airport. Finally, I remembered that Dr. Riffle's assistant, Angie, had sent me some emails... and that her signature (including phone number) was at the bottom. I bought a phone card, called her, and explained what had happened. She was able to pass on the message to Dr. Riffle, and gave me her cellphone number so I could call once I knew what was happening. After this, I relaxed a little... because I knew I would eventually reach my destination. About this time, we finally boarded for the flight to Chicago.

Chapter 3: Chicago
I slept pretty much the entire flight to Chicago. Landing in Chicago, I figured there was little chance of making the flight to Roanoke, since we landed 10 minutes after my next flight was due to depart. I made my way to the desk for my next flight, where I once more discovered that it didn't matter that I was late, because the flight to Roanoke had been cancelled. Great. The woman at the counter exclaimed "They should never have sent you here, they should have sent you to Dulles!" Great. I was booked on the first flight in the morning. I asked if there was somewhere I could stay the night, and I was handed a slip of paper with a number I could call to get discount accommodation.

Realising I now had many hours to kill, I found somewhere to sit and finally managed to connect to the internet. Anne was online: it was so nice just to be able to talk to someone I knew. I also had a message from Angie saying that Jon was to pick me up the next day, giving me his number. I called Jon, let him know the details of my next flight, and chatted for a few minutes. I also called the reservation number, booked a hotel for the the night, and received instructions for airport pickup.

After this, I chatted to Anne some more, sorted some emails and forced myself to eat dinner. By this time, it was getting on for 10pm, so I called for pickup and made my way to the bus/shuttle area. Finally the bus came, collected me and dropped me at the hotel (about 10 minutes from the airport).

The airport hotel was nicer than I expected. About midnight, my phone finally began working. I celebrated by watching a little TV and then going to bed. I woke several times throughout the night, eventually getting up at 4am. I was ready by about 4:15, and since I didn't have to check in for my flight until 6:30 I had a little time to kill. I chatted to Neil online, and wrote a blog post about Chicago (key point: cold). About 5am, I checked out of the hotel and waited for the airport shuttle. While I waited, I chatted to a very nice American man, who was very interested to hear about Australia: how hot it is at the moment, how isolated Perth is, and so on.

Since I already had my boarding pass given to me the previous night, I was able to go directly through security and then to the gate to wait for my flight. While I waited, I connected to the internet and chatted to Neil some more, until it was time to board. The fun part: it was such a little plane we went outside to board. Cold...

Chapter 3: Roanoke... and Blacksburg
The flight to Roanoke was fairly uneventful, only about an hour or so. The sun was rising, so I spent a fair amount of time looking out the window. I also read my magazine for a while, and before long we were coming in to land. Being on such a small plane (with about 10 fellow passengers) has a plus: getting off the plane is very quick and easy. By the time I made my way to the baggage collection area, my suitcase was already on the carousel.

After a short wait, Jon and Phil collected me from the airport. We took the scenic route to Blacksburg, stopping at Best Buy so Jon could buy cheap Blu-Ray discs, and then to a cleaning store so Jon could try and collect a pair of boots he owns (another epic tale, with Jon having been separated from his boots for almost a year now). Sadly for Jon, no boots were there for him.

We then continued on to Blacksburg. Jon and Phil dropped me off at Dr Riffle's place so I could sleep, which I did with much enthusiasm.

From Chicago O'Hare Airport: Tales of an epic journey.

Now that I am safely back at Chicago O'Hare airport, waiting for my flight to Roanoke, I feel like I finally have the energy (plus the half hour before I have to board) to tell the tale of my journey to the opposite side of the world.

Chapter 1: Melbourne to LA
I caught the shuttle to Melbourne airport ok, and checked in and so on and so forth. I promptly proceeded to the gate, where I could see the airbus waiting. However, as it turns out, being able to SEE the airbus doesn't actually mean it is anywhere close to ready. It took them extra time to clean and so on, so by the time the plane took off we were already half an hour late.

Boarding, once it finally occurred went well. I was right at the front of the economy section, with a row to myself. This was good because I had extra leg room, and the fold out screens have a better range of viewing angles. The only unfortunate part was that the plane was not heavily populated, but my location meant that I couldn't fold up the armrests and stretch out.

The new airbus is magnificent. The entertainment system is of the on-demand variety, with a large selection of movies, tv shows, music and audio books. The music has a large selection of albums (including Dark Side of the Moon and Brothers in Arms, so I was happy) and you can create your own playlist. I also appreciated the audio book option, as I listened to Bill Bryson's "Down Under" to help me sleep. On the plane I watched Vicki Christina Barcelona (good), Mamma Mia (terrible) and Little Miss Sunshine (absolutely delightful).

[to be continued... now boarding]

Chicago: 4:24 AM

So, I woke up at 4am. Ideally I would have slept a little longer, but I got about four and a half hours so I am happy with that (well worth the 49 USD, even if I don't end up getting reimbursed by UWA).

It's very cold outside, even for Chicago. It's snowing like crazy, and it's colder than it has been since 1999. They've had 9 straight days with measurable snow, and with wind chills it's about 24 degrees Fahrenheit below zero (that's -31 degrees C). Even without the wind chill factor it's -7 Fahrenheit (-21.7 degrees C). I know all this because I have the news on in the background, and they're talking about how cold it is on the news. Some of the local schools are even closed...

Right now, I don't want to describe the epic journey, as I want to make sure I get to the airport ok. But I did purchase 24 hours internet access yesterday evening, so maybe I can write my tales of planes from the airport (while I sip a well earned cup of tea). Time to check out and get the shuttle to the airport now.

Stuck in Chicago overnight

Not too much to say. Too tired to bother with photos. More once I am safely in Blacksburg. I've booked a cheap airport hotel to stay in overnight.

Melbourne - Day 5 (13th Jan) - State Library [and first up to date entry]

Since the forecast in Melbourne was for 37 degrees C (it ended up reaching 37.8), I considered going to the state library for the day to study. After another sleep in, I decided against this plan because:
1) Chris and Amanda's apartment wasn't too warm
2) I didn't have a lock for the laptop and
3) My pepsi max supply was also at Chris and Amanda's.

About lunchtime, I decided to wander into town on the quest for food and trashy magazines to read on the plane. I wandered down Albert (which turns into Lonsdale), and then realised that I was only a block from the library... so I decided to visit.

The state library would have to be one of my favourite places in Melbourne. The first time I visited it I spent a long time admiring the old books on display (while the others all went to check out the Ned Kelly suit of armour upstairs, which I briefly looked at and then returned to the old books). This has become a favourite memory of Karen and I: after I made the mistake of telling her about a I dream I had where she exclaimed "I'm sick of you and your old books!" it became a favourite line of hers.

Upon entering the library today, I was very pleased to discover that the old book exhibition I had thought was temporary (Mirror of the World) is actually a permanent feature of the library. After wandering around the library for a little while (including the LaTrobe reading room, which is where I had planned to study because of the awesomeness), I headed upstairs to visit the old books. The really old books are the same (as far as I remember) - the oldest I saw on display is from 1297. After spending some time admiring the REALLY old books, I continued on.

Not having the time pressures of my last visit, I was able to fully appreciate the other exhibit the level above the old books, which is all to do with Victoria and Victorian history. As well as the Ned Kelly suit of armour, there are several other interesting items on display. I was especially amused by a journal kept by a young lady in about 1916. She made many references to "mashing", which is apparently a (very) old fashioned term for flirting.

Once I had exhausted the possibilities of the Victoria exhibit, I went back to Mirror of the World. Some of the newer portions of the exhibit have changed, and I was intrigued to see a macbook on display. It is apparently the laptop which Peter Carey used when writing "My Life as a Fake and "Theft: A Love Story". Eventually, I decided that I was done with the old books, and left the library.

After purchasing the magazines (and listerine) I went back to the apartment. I'm now watching the T20 game (live from the Gabba) and getting ready for the next leg of my travels. Wednesday 14th January sure will be an epic day for me: it will last 40 hours, of which a little over 20 hours will be spent on a plane. Add in a further 5.5 hours of waiting in airports, and I'm picturing myself half dead by the time I arrive in Roanoke.

More Melbourne Day 4 - Dinner on Lygon St

After Chris and Amanda came home from work on Monday, we headed down to Lygon St to have dinner at their favourite new Italian place. They warned me about all the hustlers who would try and talk us into eating at their restaurant - and as soon as we got out of the car we were badgered by a man who offered us free corkage and then very proudly pointed out his upside-down plates (to keep the dirt off) and the sign that explains that they have no deep fryer. We politely declined his offer and continued on.

The next person asked us "Out for dinner?" to which Chris responded "No thanks". She then said "You're a terrible liar! You're carrying a bottle of wine!". Once more, we continued on. Finally, we reached our Little Lygon, pretended not to be interested, were promptly offered free corkage, free bruscetta/garlic bread and a free drink each. We decided this was a good idea and sat outside to enjoy the pleasant evening weather. Chris and Amanda ordered "3 pasta dishes to share", and I had a pizza. This is the first time I have encountered a restaurant where the pizza menu is simply "ask for the toppings you want". I chose to have salami, eggplant, capsicum, mushroom and olives. The pizza was good (although not as good as at del sol), and the pasta was also very tasty.

For dessert we headed to Brunetti - also known as the land of magical dessertness. An enormous range of chocolates, cookies, cakes and other baked goods is available. I had a doughnut, which certainly fell into the "very delicious" category. Fortunately for me (in this case) I'm not much of a fan of sweet things, so the single doughnut was enough for me.

Finally, we celebrated the non-stupid trading hours in Melbourne by doing a little grocery shopping on the way home.

Melbourne - Day 4 (12th Jan) - MCG tour and shopping

Sadly for Captain Flash, I absent-mindedly left him guarding the wine on Sunday evening and forgot to take him to the T20 game. To make it up to him, on Monday morning I headed back to the MCG to take him on a ground tour. The tour was very thorough, taking us to:

• The members' area, including the long room and other fancy parts
• Onto the ground itself (where Captain Flash got me to take a photo of him taking a nap)
• Into the players' viewing area: we got to stand at the spot where the Safs all celebrated upon winning the test series
• Down into the players' changerooms, where we got to see the ice baths, the regular baths (interestingly labelled "not nude" and "nude or don't care"), the fridge (interesting for the list of players and how they like their beverages written there in black marker) and other miscellaneous things
• To see the nets, where some Bushrangers were training as we went past
• The media centre, including the interview room (press-type interview, not police-type interview, although I believe the ground has one of those too) and the broadcast boxes
• The viewing deck, which looks out the the back of the ground towards Melbourne
• To different stands so we could see the ground from different levels

The tour took a little over an hour, and apart from the obnoxious children was pretty worthwhile. After the tour, I took a wander through the national sports museum. A really good collection with interesting exhibits, including a holographic Warne talking about his career. Sadly the interactive portion of the museum was closed, but I enjoyed my visit nonetheless.

After I finished at the MCG, I decided to go shopping down Bridge Rd - a hazardous idea since last time I went there (with Karen) we had to catch a taxi back we had so many bags. I lunched first at Richmond Hill Cafe and Larder, which offers very tasty food. It's owned and managed by Stephanie Alexander, who is one of those famous chef-type people. I then continued on down the main shopping strip. At the end of the day, I came away with another pair of boots (black this time, also only $30), a black cardigan and a light summer dress (white with blue polka dots, to continue my polka dot bias).

Melbourne - Day 3 (11th Jan) - Shopping and Cricket

After a thoroughly enjoyable sleep-in, I headed off to the Queen Victoria Markets with Chris and Amanda. While they shopped together in a quest for the week's food, I braved the clothing/miscellaneous section alone, in my quest for boots. Although I counted at least eight stores selling ugg boots, my quest for boots that don't look stupid with a dress or skirt was unsuccessful. After lunch at the markets, Chris dropped Amanda and I off at the new harbourtown (at docklands) so we could shop while he put the groceries away and hung clothes out to dry.

Our adventures at harbourtown were more successful, with both Amanda and I obtaining a few items of clothing and me managing to find a pair of boots I liked (grey ones, and they only cost me $30).

After a delicious dinner of lamb racks and roast veggies cooked by Amanda, we all walked to the MCG to watch the cricket. Chris and Amanda's apartment is in a very convenient position for sporting fans, as the MCG is only a 15 minute walk away, straight across Fitzroy Gardens. Unfortunately for me, we were running a little late, so we walked quite fast. Chris and Amanda were wearing sensible shoes, but I had decided to wear the new boots (with the logic "it's only a 15 minute walk"). Big mistake - I now have a blister on each foot to show for my efforts...

The T20 game was enjoyable, but not the best ever. Warner's batting (especially his his 50 off 19) was thoroughly entertaining, as was watching Tait bowl (his dismissal of deVilliers was a particular highlight - possibly one of the funniest dismissals I have witnessed). Although the rest of the game was good, it wasn't as good as many of the T20s I have previously witnessed. After losing several early wickets, the Safs never looked very good, and just drifted to defeat. The game may have been more interesting had I taken up Neil's offer of $1 if I could get a photo of myself stroking Amla's beard, but I decided arrest was not in my best interest since I need to leave the country so soon.

Sitting in amongst the general population for this kind of game also makes me realise how much I appreciate sitting in the members' area at the WACA, where the focus is always primarily on the cricket. Reasons I like sitting in the members' area:

• In the shorter form of the game, people may (half-heartedly) participate in a mexican wave: but never during a delivery. I missed being able to see a couple of deliveries because of the wave going past.

• Members don't stand up at miscellaneous times (blocking the view of the ground for those behind them) just to check out the location of a beach ball. Inflated condoms also fall into the beach ball category. I'm even less likely to want to touch one of those, but at least they burst upon impact with the ground, meaning they don't hold up play. However, I did enjoy it when one of the "I'm all dressed up and I keep acting like an idiot because I want to be on TV" girls two rows in front hit an inflated condom with her flag, bursting it and inviting boos from the crowd. Which brings me to the next thing I like about the members' area:

• It's not full of idiots whose main aim is to be on tv.

Members also know not to walk in front of someone just as the bowler is coming in to bowl. I could rant longer, but it's not really worth the effort...

On the way home, we went possum hunting in Fitzroy Gardens. It wasn't very easy, what with all the other people in the gardens (walking to their cars which were parked further away than where Chris and Amanda live), but Amanda did manage to spot one. Again, I was too slow to take a photo. By the time we got home it was fairly late (because the cricket finished late, not because we spent much time hunting), so it was just time for bed.

More Melbourne Day 2 - Dinner and Cockails

After yet another nap at home, I went with Amanda and Chris to "Le Gourmet", a French restaurant about 4 doors down from their apartment (very convenient stumbling distance).


The good things about this restaurant:

• The food (all tasty)
• The proximity to Chris and Amanda's apartment

The bad:

• The wallpaper (almost has to be seen to be believed)

Le Gourmet is quite pricey (although not for me, since my dinner there was my Christmas present from Chris, Amanda and Alex), but fairly good for a special occasion. Amanda and I shared entrees to start, so I was able to try both the spiced quail and the prosciutto-wrapped, blue cheese-stuffed figs - both were delicious. For the main I had kangaroo and dessert was crepes suzette - again both delicious.

The real highlight evening was the cocktail bar Chris and Amanda took me to after dinner: 1806 (on Exhibition St). They have an enormous cocktail list - with both old and new cocktails available. If you sit at the bar you can watch all the cocktails being made, which is a pleasantly diverting way of passing the time. Chris ordered a Blue Blazer - just so we could watch them make it. It involves setting the alcohol on fire in a metal jug, and then pouring it from one jug into another before serving in a glass tumbler. Sadly, I didn't think to take a photo. On Amanda's recommendation, I ordered a Xanadu Fancy - which has passionfruit vodka and other stuff and tastes like sherbet. It was so good I had a second one after the first (instead of trying something new). All in all it was an extremely enjoyable experience - delicious cocktails, not crowded and no thumping music (just decent background). In fact, any bar that doesn't make me want to kill all humans has to be pretty awesome :)

Melbourne - Day 2 (10th Jan) - Mornington Peninsula

As anyone who has met me for more than 5 seconds knows, I am a big fan of wine. For day 2 of my trip to Melbourne, Chris and Amanda took me to the Mornington Peninsula to check out some of the wineries there. I slept most of the journey down (remaining awake long enough to agree with Michael's assessment that Perth roads are planned much better than those in Melbourne), only awaking once we were almost in Mornington. One of the things I have come to appreciate about Western Australia is that once out of Perth, you can often appreciate the sights almost in solitude. Not so on the east coast (at least, not too close to Sydney or Melbourne). After completely failing to find a parking spot, we continued on to the first winery - Port Phillip Estate.

Port Phillip Estate was quite a lovely winery. The cellar door is currently located in a fairly small shed-like structure, but a big fancy building is under construction. The man who served us was very friendly, and we were able to learn quite a bit about local wine production. Chris and Amanda bought a couple of bottles, but I decided to pass, since I can't bring them into the US with me anyway. We then continued on to Paringa Estate, which has won many awards. Although the wine was fairly decent, the lady who served us was very snooty, so we continued on without purchase.

Our next stop was Red Hill Estate. The service was lovely, the wine excellent, and Chris and I each bought a bottle of wine. We also visited Montalto Vineyard & Olive Grove and T'Gallant Winemakers in the hunt for a decent lunch, but didn't eat or stay long at either. However, I did try the Claudius blend at T'Gallant, which is produced by unusual and (apparently) controversial methods pioneered by some guy whose name I don't recall. The guy serving us described it as an "adventurous choice" but I figure why go to all these wineries just to taste more very similar Pinot Noir? Anyhow, the Claudius blend was ok - a little sweet and also unusual, but at least it still tasted like wine... We also visited Arthurs Seat - a lookout point with a spectacular view over the bay - but didn't stay long because we wanted to eat.

Stomachs grumbling, we ended up having a light lunch in Dromana, where I bought a copy of the newspaper and was amused to discover that in Melbourne, 25 degrees C is described as "warm". Coming off Perth's 35+ C days I thought it was pleasantly cool. Again, I can't describe the journey between Mornington Peninsula and Melbourne, as I napped some more on the way home.

Meloburne - Day 1 (9th Jan) - Sumo time!

The beginning of the epic journey. The plane flight to Melbourne was fairly uneventful - the movie was "How to lose friends and alienate people" which was diverting enough but I probably wouldn't bother to watch it again. I arrived in Melbourne to the text message "Welcome to melbourne from the M. A. D! (melbourne awesomeness division). Please call [number withheld] to summons your personal driver", which is apparently how Chris and Amanda greet all their guests. I was subsequently collected from the airport by both Chris and Amanda, and we stopped by DFO on the way home so I could go boot hunting (unsuccessfully).

Once we arrived back at the apartment, I presented Chris with his (only a day late!) birthday present from myself and the other brothers: a pair of remote control inflatable sumo wrestlers. After Chris went to the store on a quest for 9V batteries (and miscellaneous other things) we were able to begin battle. Chris is an expert at how to have fun, and we soon discovered that rather than just bashing the sumos into each other, you can also have a really good time by racing them down the hallway. Sadly for Captain Flash, his lack of opposable thumbs meant he could only watch the action. After dinner we played bomberman on the xbox (I'm not very good), and then finally off to bed after a long day.

Captain Flash's Magnificent Adventure

To allow people to follow my adventures while in the USA (and also Melbourne), I've decided to put it all on a blog - which you can follow or ignore at will. And since Captain Flash is likely to feature in many of the photos, I've named the blog after him. It's also less offensive than some of the other options I came up with...